Hikers beware: A rash-causing plant is growing in fire-scarred Angeles National Forest

A beautiful threat is growing on the freshly charred hillside of the San Gabriel Mountains.

Whimsical naming Poodle bush Thriving after the fire, such as over 14,000 acres Eaton Fire In January, this destroyed a fragment of Angeles National Forest. Mountain shrub hits the senses with bell-shaped purple flowers and perfume Imitation of marijuana. But the beautiful puppy took a bite. Contact usually leads to rough rashes.

Plant experts say conditions pave the way for new crops Eriodictyon Parryi In Angeles National Forest, there is the potential to cover thousands of acres of land and be filled with popular entertainment trails over the next decade. It’s a group of hikers, but botanists say native plants play an important role in the ecosystem.

Senior St. Gabriel Mountain runner and hiker Cameron Hummels can clearly point out his worst battle with the bushes.

In 2020, Pasadena residents trekked on the top of Mt. Wilson, wearing shorts, and wondering that Poodle-Dog was buried under the cold blanket. Two days later, the reaction came: redness, itching, oozing, crust and small, liquid-filled blisters.

“My legs were on fire,” he said, and it lasted for weeks.

Poodle-Dog is not a household name like poison oaks and ivy, which may be due to its limited geographical area and ephemeral nature. The shrub was reportedly named after leaves that might hang and coil like VIP fur – mainly growing Southern California In Chaparral between about 3300 and 7,500 feet, on granite slopes and ridges. Its seeds may lie dormant for years until the wildfire’s intense heat and other clues can trigger germination. (Another disturbance, such as a landslide, can also keep it going.)

The plant can grow rapidly in exposed landscapes, sometimes shooting its maximum height nearly 10 feet in a year. In about 10 years, other plants outperformed it and it disappeared.

In recent months, there have been a lot of flames in the area where plants live that awaken sleeping dogs in a group in Southern California.

Shortly after the deadly Eton fire was ignited, Hughes opens fire Glowing near Castaic Lake, chewing over 10,000 acres. In September, Bridge fire This started with Angeles National Forest, swallowing 50,000 acres. That month, east of Los Angeles, covering nearly 44,000 acres Line fire It was lit near the Highlands community and then poured into the San Bernardino National Forest. Several other smaller fires in the area were burned last summer to this spring.

In some areas where the bridge fires were burned, Poodle-Dog quickly emerged in some areas, said Esther Lewis, a botanist with the U.S. Forest Service.

As Lewis said in an email, with gorgeous, lavender-colored flowers and a general “quirky, Seusian look” that hikers might be tempted to put on the side. But contact can be painful.

While some people don’t respond at all, some people can feel severe skin irritation. The culprit? Hair covering stems, leaves and flowers has glands that secrete sticky substances Contains prophenolLewis said this can cause a rash. This reaction is often likened to a reaction to poisonous oaks and ivy, although some say it is worse. Lewis said the hair itself can also cause irritation, just like fiberglass.

Symptoms will appear a few hours or even days after contact. The rash can be spread indirectly through the sticky and sticky hair of the plant, while the glands stick very much.

Recent rainfall increases the chances that forests will see more scourges.

The phoenix of the Leaf World needs soil to make it wet for about a month to six weeks – we finally got that. Theodore Payne Foundationis a nonprofit education center, garden and nursery dedicated to California native plants.

Becker expects poodle-dog to be growing now, other so-called Firefighterslike Fire Poppygolden ear drops and whispering bells.

“I just wish they were a few inches taller now, with only little babies,” Becker said of the freshman poodle.

Poodle dogs can be found in the southern Sierra Nevada, the southern coast. The horizontal range is particularly common, including the San Gabriel Mountains in northeast Los Angeles

However, it is not common to encounter it in the coastal mountains of Santa Monica. So, despite the series of this range being burned Palisade fires In January, hikers there may not be fighting it.

Perennials may not bloom this year. Instead, they might hang out on a dry summer and then — if the rain is enough — bloom in spring 2026, Becker said.

No matter the bud Bobcat fire 2020. Fire burns More than 180 square miles The San Gabriel Mountains and one of the largest fires in Los Angeles County’s history.

“Everything after everything, it’s still thick and healthy,” Wilson Mountain Bike Association. and volunteers Lower respected civic clubs – A nonprofit that restores trails. This includes all the northward slopes of Mount Wilson, “there are many poodles throughout the front of the San Gabriel Mountains on the front north.”

Brack expects this seemingly seductive shrub to quickly affect such iDlehour,,,,, Castle Canyon and upstream Mount Wilson On Mount San Gabriel. In the past, plants had Tormented hikers Sections of the Pacific Crush Trail along this range.

While trail recovery requires mitigating nuisances like poodles from the trail, it is not always possible to evict it from the area completely. This is Valley Forging Trail Wilson Mountain Bike Association. Recovering. “It’s like a piece of stuff that just happens to grow in a bunch of people,” Black said.

Outdoor lovers may not immediately compete with Fresh Poodle-Dog. Many popular trails and campgrounds in Angeles National Forest may remain closed at least by the end of the year, Each order By Forest Services. (Some closed Cancelled on Friday For areas located outside the Eaton Fire Burning Scar.

The exact number of poodle dogs has appeared after the recent fires, but the general consensus is to be as far as possible.

“It depends on the distribution of seeds stored in the soil and other plants can outperform it, but it can cover thousands of acres of land,” said Lewis of the Forest Service. “I observed it dominant across the hillside.”

Walkers are advised to become familiar enough with the way plants look avoided. Growing plants and sleeves are also a solid way to prevent contact. Staying on the trail alone will prevent most events, according to people who know.

If contact is suspected, Trail Restorer Blaker recommends treating it like poison oak and scrub the affected skin with a degreaser. Unfortunately, antihistamines Will not help. Contaminated clothes should be cleaned in a timely manner, separately and carefully.

For some, the itching caused by contact continues to bother them with so-called memory responses. Even if there is no other exposure, it can trigger symptoms. Poison Oak recently nailed Becker’s left wrist and his right wrist was slightly itchy – about a decade ago, Poodle-Dog wiped his patch.

Naomi Fraga, Director of Conservation Program California Botanical GardensSaid that her staff had to go to emergency care one day after work so that “because it was too bad.” (Fraga was one of the lucky ones who were not affected.)

Despite the pain, Fraga insists that Poodle-Dog is not a pest. Shrubs help prevent erosion of hillsides that deprive stable vegetation and provide food and mulch for wildlife, including pollinators.

“It’s not just an infestation that comes after the fire,” she said. “It’s a native plant and is part of the natural recovery process.”

However, she is not sold under the generic name. “I don’t think they look like poodles at all.”

Some botanists believe that climate change is Come on more frequently.

“With the frequency of wildfires, more acres of burning jungle are dominated by poodle bushes,” Lewis said.

But others are skeptical. Fraga said the rise in fire frequency has been shown to increase invasiveness, rather than native species. The former usually grows faster, and Competent to the latter.

This could also lead to plants having time to mature and produce large amounts of seeds, exhausting seed banks and hindering recovery, Becker said.

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